Author: Andres-Papazian

Aysor, Armenia
July 23 2010

`New instrument for Artsakh Republic international recognition’

ARFD Faction Head Vahan Hovhannisyan welcomed the International Court
of Justice ruling on Kosovo `since the ruling stipulated that
proclaiming independence one-sidedly is legal.’

`Thus proclaiming independence is legal for all. Certainly,
preconditions are needed for it, and Artsakh ensured them if not more
then not less than Kosovo,’ Hovhannisyan said adding that now we get a
new instrument to fight for NKR international recognition.

Meanwhile Hovhannisyan addressed the position of U.S. considering it
alarming. `When a superpower like U.S. expresses readiness to welcome
Kosovo independence irrespective of the court ruling, it means that
international court proceedings depreciate already,’ Mr. Hovhanisyan
said.

From: A. Papazian

Aysor, Armenia
July 23 2010

US provides Armenia with addl $2,9 mln to fight against drugs

U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Jovanovich and Armenia’s Attorney
General Agvan Hovsepian Friday signed a protocol bringing in force
changes to the 2001 agreement that enshrines a dealing to cooperate in
sphere of controlling trafficking in narcotic drugs and in policing.

According to the agreement, the U.S. administration will provide
Armenia with additional $2,875 284 for campaigns supporting the
changes, a spokesperson to Prosecutor General’s Office told media.

The U.S. administration has directed more than $14 million since 2001
within the framework of the agreement.

From: A. Papazian

The Messenger, Georgia
July 23 2010

Russia ` Armenia military cooperation

By Messenger Staff Thursday, July 22
Armenian analyst David Petrosyan thinks that Armenia should not hurry
to resolve the Karabakh conflict or follow the advice of other parties
but put its own national interests first. Armenia should take into
account Russia’s steps to come closer economically to Azerbaijan and
Turkey but it remains the only military ally of the Russian Federation
in the region. No economic incentives at any level could make any
other country replace Armenia as a military ally.

Petrosyan also thinks that the West lacks the resources to resolve
Caucasus problems while it is deeply involved in Afghanistan, Iraq and
combating international terrorism. The world economic crisis is
another serious problem which has not yet been solved.

From: A. Papazian

The Messenger, Georgia
July 23 2010

Turkey and South Caucasus: Polish analyst’s view

Thursday, July 22
Polish political analyst Lukasz Racinski, says that the normalisation
of Turkish`Armenian relations has been postponed. He thinks that
Russia has taken `necessary steps for this’. Moscow has no interest at
all in Armenian`Turkish relations being regulated as The Kremlin would
prefer to keep the status quo, which is the most beneficial situation
for Moscow. There is also the Azeri factor to consider, as Azerbaijan
is not at all happy at the prospect of Turkish`Armenian relations
thawing.

Racinski thinks that the South Caucasus has fallen down the list of
priorities in the Turkish foreign policy system. He says that the West
is Turkey’s current priority, followed by the Middle East and then the
Balkan countries. Only then does the South Caucasus appear.

Racinski states that the regulating of Armenian-Turkish relations
depends very much on regulating the Karabakh conflict. These two
issues are closely connected. However he thinks that Russia retains
the key role in resolving the Karabakh conflict and Ankara does not
posses significant levers to force Russia to do so. As has been said,
Russia wants to retain the status quo in Karabakh too to keep Armenia
as its ally and a solid base for the Russian armed forces in the
region.

From: A. Papazian

Aysor, Armenia
July 23 2010

Not Armenia but Azerbaijan should apply to International Court

ARFD Faction Head Vahan Hovhannisyan speaking about the International
Court of Justice ruling on legality of Kosovo independence said that
it was Serbia, not Kosovo that applied to the International Court,
thus, with regard to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict it is Azerbaijan
that should apply to the International Court.

`However, Azerbaijan will never do it since it has a plan of returning
Artsakh and liberated areas around it in other ways,’ the speaker
stressed.

According to the MP, Serbia would not take that step, either, but it
had to apply to the court since more than 60 countries had recognized
Kosovo independence.

`Thus, Armenia has no reason to apply to the International Court,’
Hovhannisyan concluded

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
July 23 2010

Mubariz Ibrahimov’s heroic action receives high appraisal of the state
Fri 23 July 2010 | 11:24 GMT Text size:

Mubariz Ibrahimov On the night of June 19 Ibrahimov killed four occupants.

Head of the association of military journalists Uzeir Jafarov is happy
about president’s yesterday order to grant the title of the national
hero to national army ensign Mubariz Ibrahimov for the heroism
demonstrated while resisting attacks of Armenian occupants in the
direction of the Chayli village of Terter, Azerbaijan.

On the night of June 19 Ibrahimov killed four occupants and injured
five, one of whom is not in coma. The hero was shot dead from the
back. Ibrahimov’s body has not yet been returned to the Azerbaijani
side,

`The heroic step of the Azerbaijani serviceman received a high
appraisal of the state. I only regret that the heroism of many other
Azerbaijani soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives for
protection of homeland in fights for Karabakh were not praised so
highly’, Jafarov said.

There are some unclear moments in the statement of the Defense
Ministry about the armed incident near the Chayli village which causes
concerns and the need for clarification. The reasons why Ibrahimov’s
body was near the Armenian positions and whether Ibrahimov’s actions
were sanctioned by the command will be clarified’, Jafarov added.

`If ensign Ibrahimov has passed the fire line voluntarily to revenge
the enemy, he could be captured and provide important information
about his current and previous service in other kinds of troops
through torture. Why did Ibrahimov fight Armenians alone?’, the
military expert said. Azerbaijan’s official structures must clarify
these issues.

`Anyway, the ensign made a heroic step and it was right to grant the
title of the national hero to him. But Ibrahimov’s body has not yet
been buried and the duty of our state and international organizations
is to receive the body of the soldier and bury him’, Jafarov said.

On July 22 President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to perpetuate the
memory of Azerbaijan’s National Hero Mubariz Ibrahimov. The Cabinet of
Ministers is empowered to ensure the naming of one of the secondary
schools of Bilesuvar after Mubariz Ibrahimov and the executive powers
of Bilesuvar are empowered to ensure the naming of one of the streets
after Mubariz Ibrahimov.

Novosti Azerbaijan

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
July 23 2010

Armenian refugees can return to Azerbaijan once conflict is settled
Fri 23 July 2010 | 05:27 GMT Text size:

Elkhan Polukhov The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has said that
Armenian refugees can return to Azerbaijan once the Karabakh conflict
has been settled.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov was commenting on remarks
made earlier on Thursday by the head of Armenia’s State Migration
Service that Armenian refugees would like to return to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has never been against their return, Polukhov said.

“But first the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has to be settled and this
could begin with the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied
Azerbaijani territories. Then all the people internally displaced in
Azerbaijan should return to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and the
seven neighbouring districts,” Polukhov said.

“After all this, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of
Nagorno-Karabakh will work out a status for Nagorno-Karabakh as part
of Azerbaijan. And the following stage will be consideration of the
options for the return to Azerbaijan of Armenians who left the country
during the Karabakh war.”

Gagik Yeganyan, head of the Armenian Migration Service, told a press
conference in Yerevan yesterday that Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan
had approached the service over the point in the Muskoka statement by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries about the right of all
refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their previous
places of residence.

He said that many refugees were approaching the Migration Service and
other government agencies to find out when this would happen.

1news.az, Regnum

From: A. Papazian

Panorama, Armenia
July 23 2010

UN court decision on Kosovo tool for recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
independence: ARF

The UN court decision backing Kosovo’s 2008 independence declaration,
can become a tool for the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
independence, the chairman of NA ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Vahan
Hovhannisyan, told reporters today.

`The independence declaration is legal and it is legal for everyone.
Of course, prerequisites are needed for it which Nagorno-Karabakh has
proved to have already,’ he said highlighting that Karabakh has
acquired independence quite legally.

`This means, we obtain a new tool and new opportunity to struggle for
the international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh,’ Vahan Hovhannisyan
said.

According to him, both sides of the Kosovo independence declaration
should be viewed: first, he hailed Kosovo independence, which, as he
said, derives both from Armenia’s interests and the international
fairness.

On the other hand, he underscored the US statement on Kosovo
independence: recognize the country’s independence irrespective of the
court decision, which damages the international law basis.

From: A. Papazian

Aysor, Armenia
July 23 2010

Hrant Melkumian a point behind leaders at Open Chess in Balaguer

In round four of the Fifteenth Open Chess Championship, taking place
in Spanish Balaguer, Armenia’s Grand Master Hrant Melkumian was
overcome for the first time. He scored 3 points out of 4, and is a
point behind the tournament’s leaders, GMs Kesada (from Cuba) and
Vokaturo (from Italy).

Grand Master Zaven Andriasian scored 2,5 points, Armenian Chess
Federation said.

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
July 23 2010

OSCE representatives hold monitoring on contact line of troops
Fri 23 July 2010 | 12:01 GMT Text size:

OSCE The OSCE monitoring on the contact line of Azerbaijani and
Armenian armed forces has recorded no incidents.

A monitoring has been held in the southeastern direction of the
Gapanly village of Terter on the front line, according to the mandate
of the personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office.

Before the start of the monitoring, OSCE representatives visited the
executive powers of Terter. There they were informed about the
situation on the front line. During the meeting they were told that
the Armenian armed forces periodically fire at the settlements,
especially Hasanchay, Gapanly and Chayli villages. Then the OSCE
representatives left for the territory of holding the monitoring.

According to the news service for the Defense Ministry, Azerbaijani
side was represented by coordinator of the office of the personal
representative of the OSCE chairman Imre Palatinus and his field
assistant William Proyor.

The recognized Azerbaijani land on the opposite side of the front line
was represented by field assistants of the personal representative of
the OSCE chairman-in-office Antal Herdich, Zhaslan Nurtazin and
Christo Christoff.

ANS PRESS

From: A. Papazian